Hundreds lobby Annapolis over gun safety bills, mostly in support of gun rights
Hundreds of people signed up to testify before a Senate panel to oppose gun safety bills, and only three were in favor.
Hundreds of pro-Second Amendment advocates carried signs and spoke out against any restrictions on their legal right to possess a firearm. Three people signed up to speak in support of the gun safety bills.
The Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard testimony Tuesday about a variety of legislation under the proposal, including the Gun Safety Act of 2023 (Senate Bill 1), which would impose restrictions on where Marylanders who have a permit to carry a concealed handgun can take their firearm. The bill prohibits possession of a gun in any public place.
"What the bill is going to do is basically make it impossible for people to carry a conceal-carry permit (for) handguns in this state," said John Lott, president of the Crime Prevention Research Center.
The bill's sponsor, Montgomery County Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher, D-District 18, said he doesn't want Maryland to become the Wild West.
"Senate Bill 1 is not a statement, it's a question: What kind of world do we want to live in? What kind of state do I want to raise my three children in? A state awash in guns, armed to the teeth and drowning in conceal-carry permits? A state where every small dispute risks escalation to gun violence?" Waldstreicher said.
"We know that not every one is a responsible gun owner, and people with conceal-carry permits need to be vetted thoroughly," said Melissa Ladd, chapter leader of Maryland Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
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Pro-Second Amendment advocates argued crime statistics in states without these restrictions are no better.
"Right now, there's like one out of every 55 adults in Maryland who has a conceal-carry permit. In Pennsylvania, it's one in six. In West Virginia, it's one out of nine. There's no move to undo the laws that are there," Lott said.
Pro-gun safety advocates packed the Senate committee's lobby in support of bills under discussion.
"We need to do everything we can to make sure that we try to end gun violence in America, and we are only promoting responsible gun ownership," Ladd said. "We are ready for whatever the other side wants to say, and we know we have the majority of Americans that agree with us that common sense gun laws are important for our country."
Other bills before the Senate committee are less controversial. Senate Bill 185 would keep track of those who are under a final protective order and must surrender their firearms. The bill requires the Maryland State Police to create a database to keep track of such cases.
"We need to know when these guns are used in domestic violence. This was brought to me by advocates of the House of Ruth," said the bill's sponsor, Anne Arundel County Sen. Pam Beidle, D-District 32.
The Raise the Age Act of 2023 (Senate Bill 86) would raise the minimum age to buy a rifle or shotgun to 21.
"We want to make sure that Marylanders are protected from gun violence as best as possible," said Senate President Bill Ferguson, D-District 46.
The Gun Industry Accountability Act of 2023 (Senate Bill 113) would take civil immunity away from gun makers so that victims or surviving family members of gun violence can file a lawsuit against them.
"We would love to see that passed to give the attorney general some discretion on going after manufacturers who are showing to be negligent in their marketing or their production practices, and also give some recompense to some survivors after they have a tragedy," Ladd said.
There are no decisions expected anytime soon on the Senate floor. House committee hearings are scheduled at a later date.
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